The death of Princess Astrid of Norway marks the end of an era in the country’s history. After the passing of King Harald V of Norway on August 28, news of his sister’s death was made public today, plunging the Nordic nation into deep sadness. Even so, the legacy of the woman who stood faithfully beside her brother in service to the Crown lives on with a truly legendary life story.
© Antony JonesHer elegance, wisdom, and impeccable jewelry collection helped make Astrid one of the most stylish women in Norway’s history. At every major state occasion she would delight in wearing a remarkable turquoise parure that graced her head, collarbone, and shoulder: a tiara, necklace, and a striking brooch steeped in history.
A legendary life that endures through her jewels
The sister of King Harald V was born into the House of Glücksburg, but the early years of her life were not defined by palace life so much as by one of the country’s most significant exiles. Like her brother, she was forced to flee to the United States as a child after the Nazi invasion. The experience left a lasting mark on her, but it was her mother’s death that turned her into a true mainstay of the Crown.
Queen Märtha died just three years before Olav, father of Harald, Astrid, and Ragnhild, ascended the throne. The King remained a widower for the rest of his life, while his daughter Princess Astrid stepped in as de facto First Lady during the early years of his reign.
© Royal House of NorwayThis role inevitably made her one of the leading figures at Court, though she never gave up on her own personal life. She married an Olympic medalist, a union that meant giving up her style of Her Royal Highness. This love also cost her position as First Lady, as well as her place in the line of succession to the Norwegian throne, but she remained happy until her husband’s death.
After finding the right balance between family life and duty, she continued to serve the Crown with dedication. She was always present at the most important royal events, wearing on each special occasion what were, in many ways, her lifelong companions: her most treasured jewels, framed in diamonds and lit up by the intense blue of their turquoise stones.
© Rune Hellestad - CorbisPrincess Astrid of Norway’s turquoise set
The late princess’s turquoise parure began to take shape in 1902, thirty years before she was born. Without her knowing it, the story of a jewel that would one day shine in royal palaces was already being written. It was the love between King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra that ultimately gave Astrid one of her most iconic looks. For the Queen’s 58th birthday, the monarch gifted her this impressive tiara of diamonds and turquoise.
Although there are no known images of Alexandra wearing the piece, after her death it was inherited by her daughter, who would become Queen Maud of Norway. After being kept in England from 1938, including throughout the family’s exile during World War II until they were recovered in 1953, Queen Alexandra’s turquoise tiara passed to Princess Astrid after the death of her mother, Crown Princess Märtha, in 1954. The tiara remained in Astrid’s care during her years as First Lady and was officially assigned to her as personal property in 1968, when the royal jewelry collection was divided after the wedding of then-Crown Prince Harald.
© Mark CuthbertThat was when the young princess began to regularly wear the piece, pairing it with a spectacular brooch and a necklace that cascade with diamonds and turquoise. Together they created an unforgettable look that has become part of royal history and that, according to plans, will now pass to the main line of the Royal Family. This was always her wish, as she revealed on several occasions.
It means that this tiara will not be hidden away in the royal vaults, but instead will be shared among the women of the new reigning family, led by King Haakon VIII, Queen Mette-Marit, and Princess Ingrid, heir to the throne of the Nordic kingdom.
